


Like a walk in the park

by fish_wifey



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Amusement Parks, Dating, Established Relationship, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, tough on the outside/soft on the inside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 16:10:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22447048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fish_wifey/pseuds/fish_wifey
Summary: The ridiculousness from the sign carries onto this figure, topped with a backwards baseball cap, extending to the lollipop sticking out of his mouth. Kentarou avoids Shigeru’s questioning glare. His own eyes, always looking sleep-deprived or attacked by a smudging eyeliner underneath, glance up to the sign too. As if he hadn’t expected it to be this colourful, pastel, or enthusiastic.“You’ve got to be joking,” Shigeru manages to say at last,This isn't a cute offering from one boyfriend to the other. Kyoutani takes a surprised, mostly confused, but still happy Yahaba on a date to an amusement park. From water sliders to a haunted house, and some cute interludes in between, they're in for a roller-coaster ride on their still so long relationship.
Relationships: Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru
Comments: 7
Kudos: 119





	Like a walk in the park

**Author's Note:**

> Whelp this is the fluffiest kyouyaha i ever wrote. They're still them, as my lovely beta Nana can tell you. Trying so hard to act tough and uncaring when all they do is being sweet in their own way and care way too much. Title-wise, it also derives from the norm.
> 
> Apparently I started this fic in 2015, and I think it was for an exchange too? I have not much info on it but, yay for rediscovering mostly written fics;;;

Shigeru squints hard at the overhead board in front of him. Not because it’s an absurd sunny day and he forgot his sunglasses. Nor because humans age everyday and part of that process is worsening eyesight. He can read the words on the colourful board just fine, as they’re bigger than his own body. 

It’s what the board proclaims in pastel colours in large print and with a joyful enthusiasm which makes him squint; first to the words, then to what awaits him beyond its entrance gates, and then finally onto the person who stands next to him. Kyoutani Kentarou has his hands in his pockets, probably fists balled. He looks tense from the shoulders down, attempting to be as inward possible.

The ridiculousness from the sign carries onto this figure, topped with a backwards baseball cap, extending to the lollipop sticking out of his mouth. Kentarou avoids Shigeru’s questioning glare. His own eyes, always looking sleep-deprived or attacked by a smudging eyeliner underneath, glance up to the sign too. As if he hadn’t expected it to be this colourful, pastel, or enthusiastic. 

“You’ve got to be joking,” Shigeru manages to say at last, as other visitors to this park walk around them and inward. They appear happy to be here, unlike the two guys standing right in front of it.

Kentarou believes that a grumbling sound answers any and all questions Shigeru might have, accompanied by a shrug. The initial and deadpan ‘Ta-da’ have done nothing to improve Shigeru’s mood, and Kentarou doesn’t seem to offer anything else as to the big question in Shigeru’s head; why!? 

Instead, he shows another sign that he’s not quite himself today; Kentarou’s hand scratches the back of his neck. It upsets the cap he wears, and he pulls it tightly down once more before addressing Shigeru.

“If you don’t wanna go, fine. We can do something else I guess.” Kentarou kicks the pavement, less than happy about this surprise not going the way he might have thought it would be going. Shigeru is still so caught in confusion that he has no time to find Kentarou even remotely adorable when he’s upset. He’s still dealing with the impossibility of the sign hanging over them, not even casting a shadow onto their persons.

The main problem being that this is the sign of an amusement park.

“I mean!” Shigeru holds his hands up, smiling because there’s nothing else his helpless mouth can do when faced with the situation at hand.

“I didn’t think of this when you said ‘come over and let’s do something fun’. It’s—” _so unlike you not what I expected the opposite of what KyouKen would do sheer craziness the cutest thing you have ever done for me for me for me for me_ “—quite. Something,” Shigeru finishes lamely, swallowing all his other thoughts down to where they belong; in a well-locked box within his heart, where he keeps all the silly and romantic feelings he has. Ever-blooming, overflowing. So hard to contain that whatever leaves Shigeru’s mouth is not _as_ stupid in comparison.

Kentarou looks at him properly after his surprise rose high and in colour over them. To Shigeru’s rising concern, there is a dirty smile splitting Kentarou’s face. All signs of alarms erupt in Shigeru, who quiets his inner chaos to hear what Kentarou has to say.

“Oh yeah, what did ya think I planned to do, then?”

The double meaning of ‘do’ doesn’t get past Shigeru, who rolls his eyes. Most of the time in the past three months, it’s been Shigeru who initiated something that came close to, but was never named or proclaimed as ‘dates’. It would never take them far or even somewhere special. Nothing where you had to pay to get in, and occasionally pay for food. That was it. They hate hamburgers, watching matches on TV, hanging out in the living room when someone’s parents weren’t home.

When Kentarou called or texted him over, it was mostly at school; somewhere in a private corner, next to a vending machine or a tree. To slam Shigeru violently against the wall or the bark, trap him against the steel gates or in the equipment room, and kiss him senseless. Making out was their favourite activity after since that first kiss took them by surprise. Touching was recently added to the things they liked to do, even when hands didn’t go deep, far, or did anything too blush-inducing.

The closest to being romantic, Kentarou’s ‘Find me’ text had led Shigeru on an elaborate search. More texts had led to illuminate the path, up a hill. And it wasn’t to watch a sunset together. 

Shigeru presses his lips together, the memory of Kentarou’s mouth on them fading. Trying hard not to smile or let Kentarou have any sort of weird thoughts that he won or something, Shigeru heaves a deep sigh, answering Kentarou’s question

“Not this. How did you even come to the idea—”

“Nevermind that, ‘kay? Wanna go or not?” Exasperated, Kentarou throws his hands out of his pockets, giving Shigeru a look that’s meant to be intimidating, but to which Shigeru can only shake his head at. He looks at one hand in particular, Kentarou’s right. Then decides against holding it or pulling him. That would definitely be considered romantic, and somehow they had this unspoken rule of not being too soft with each other. Even when they kissed, teeth were involved.

“Yeah sure, alright.” Shigeru, still confused as to where the idea for this came from, doesn’t complain. Kentarou mumbles an ‘alright’, and they go to the line for people to show their pre-bought tickets. 

Once inside, walking a bit, the couple gets an eyeful of the rides in front, a water slide on the right, and some shops on the left. Shigeru’s ignored a big red roller-coaster in the distance, where the sounds of screaming and the ride itself reach them with ease. He makes himself believe it's more for Kentarou’s sake that they should avoid that, as they both had eaten and Kentarou more than him. Quietly expectant, he looks to Kentarou, trying to see what he’s in the mood for. 

Looking at Kentarou, Shigeru sees the halo of a ferris wheel on the other side of the park. Kentarou notices the stare, follows the line of sight. 

“Ah, that. I wanted to check it out later. There’s a Warner brother’s studio store close by, too,” Kentarou says, making Shigeru’s eyebrows lift up in question. “For Shizu’s birthday? She said she wanted a Tweety plush.” 

Kentarou rubs the back of his neck again, as if any possible sign of kindness on his part gave him the itch. Shigeru stares at him, asking where this version of Kentarou suddenly sprouted from. It’s true that his little sister, Shizuka, had given him (and Kentarou) a list of things she’d like to receive. Shigeru wouldn’t have thought that Kentarou would remember, or care. Much less that he refers to Shizuka by a shortened name Shigeru had used once in his presence. 

“We can walk around first, if you wanna,” Kentarou says, his eyes unshifting from Shigeru. Usually, Shigeru would have a lot of fun to tease and point out how uncharacteristically nervous Kentarou is behaving. How unlike any of this of the behaviour he shows at school and on the court. As it stands, Shigeru finds himself quite touched, and can’t offer any remarks on it.

That comes later, after the rides. Especially the water-slides, which have Kentarou grip the wheel in front of them. His hands are so tight on it that the knuckles blanche, the same colour of Kentarou’s face. Shigeru doesn’t mind getting a little wet, not when he can enjoy Kentarou’s absolute fright.

Of course when Shigeru screams in one of the rides that go all the way up and then drop them, that same joy is felt by Kentarou, who seems to be mostly fine. 

For revenge, Shigeru shoves Kentarou to the next ride. Kentarou ‘tsk’s at him all the way over, folding his cap and hiding it in a pocket. They stand in line, waiting for one of the boats. With building pleasure, Shigeru watches another boat round a U-turn, to crash down the water-slide and splash water all around it.

“You’re an absolute fiend,” Kentarou says, as they shuffle along. It’s almost their turn, and Shigeru grins wildly at him. 

“Why, scared to get wet? I thought dogs like water.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Kentarou hisses, making sure there’s no kids around them. His cussing starts the bickering however, and Shigeru finds himself in the boat and up the ride, before he notices Kentarou’s face becoming pale again. All stiff and afraid, it’s a sight that once more should spark a poke in the cheek, a little side comment. Instead, as the well-locked box inside Shigeru’s heart opens a smidge, he takes Kentarou’s hand.

Kentarou looks at him, as they reach the top.

Neither of them notices the boat turning, as the hands soften in each other grip, only to re-tighten with linked fingers.

On the top of the world, Shigeru feels like he could say it. Should say what he feels, truly.

Then the ride slides down, and his stomach drops, his soul leaves through his mouth, and a ghastly scream flies out right with it. Joining the screams of others, as they overrun Kentarou’s sudden and in-mouth screeching behind tightly closed lips. The ride crashes downwards, and water drenches them.

Shigeru blinks, completely wet. He looks at the water-resistant blanket, which the two of them—complete idiots—forgot to put on. Water drips from Kentarou’s shocked expression, as he slowly turns to Shigeru once again.

“I’m gonna kill you for this, Yahaba.”

*

Committing murder in Kentarou’s book is definitely a fun activity when it means making your _might-be-captain boyfriend lover rival soulmate partner pain-in-the-ass something_ someone lose breath and gasp for air after a long, deep kissing session. 

Someone, Kentarou’s weak soul insist on calling what Shigeru is to him in his mind. A special someone, maybe. His someone, possibly. All of the other words are correct too, but Kentarou can’t say them out loud. He can’t just ask what they are. That would be lame as all hell. The bigger, more scarier reason is that Shigeru could say, for real, what Kentarou is to him, means to him. Kentarou’s mind twists into something dark and angry, blurting out _friend rival ace partner-maybe nothing_ ; neither of those less-than-pretty words swirling in Kentarou’s stomach and mind need to be reality in this moment. Not when they’re grasping each other in the shade of the trees, past a ‘Don’t cross’ sign Kentarou ignored, when he pulled Shigeru into the shadows. No hand-holding, Kentarou insist. He just dragged Shigeru here to kiss him senseless, after he got them both wet as dogs.

The wet shirts do things to Kentarou’s subconscious, making itself known in his lower regions. He ignores this, grabbing Shigeru’s face, cool and fresh. Fingers run towards the hair, pulling at the skull, for another mind-numbing kiss. Shigeru doesn’t fight him, and his own hands grab behind Kentarou, onto the equally wet shirt. Pulling them so close together that Kentarou considers it dangerous. 

Somehow, they keep it in their pants. Shigeru is so red that Kentarou bites his cheek like an apple, getting two hands pushing him backwards. Grinning like a madman, Kentarou shrugs, licks his lips. 

They kiss in the shadows until they are somewhat dry, before the real world out there can have them back.

Kentarou later insist that Shigeru buys them food. They eat fries and other hearty snacks. Sitting at a bench surrounded by families and other teenages, Kentarou allows his knees to knock Shigeru’s. When they sit in silence, eating and stealing from each other’s plates, it’s Kentarou who blushes. He remembers the hand taking his, as fear dissipated, as nothing else mattered but the feel of Shigeru’s hand. Not as a setter, not as a friend.

As his, and his alone.

If they’d brought their phones, he would have taken pictures of today. Later on, Shigeru buys a polaroid camera from the store, along a present for his little sister. They take exactly 11 pictures, all of which they vow to keep safe from water.

The last polaroid left, Kentarou makes sure they will use up in the end.

Kentarou drags Shigeru into a haunted house, ignoring the numerous protests out of Shigeru’s mouth. Dragging, as Kentarou and Shigeru insist on calling it this day, because ‘holding hands’ is too large a step into something formal, solid, and private. Loving horror, Kentarou likes the elation that comes after the fear. Plus this day has shown that he can keep his mouth fairly shut when dealing with the rides.

Unlike Shigeru, who screams in high pitches.

And then, in the darkest corner of the haunted house, when all their fears are surrounding them, Shigeru oversteps the unspoken boundaries. He doesn’t drag Kentarou. He full-on holds his biceps. This, above all, makes Kentarou stand stiff in place.

“Not a word,” Shigeru warns him. “If you speak a word of this to anyone,” he scrambles on, standing tight against Kentarou. Who finds himself not minding this innocent closeness.

“Pfft, who should I talk to…” Kentarou mumbles, pulling Shigeru further along. Into the deep, dark unknown that is walking a path arm in arm with your special someone. He definitely doesn’t mind being the strong, caring, protector-boyfriend.

“I don’t understand how you can smile so...happily,” Shigeru says as the end of the tunnel appears and they can see each other more clearly. Kentarou hasn’t stopped smiling since Shigeru’s fingers curled around his bicep. He couldn’t wipe it off now, doesn’t even care to try. There’s a feeling in him that overloads and keeps on wanting this. To be a special someone to Shigeru, too. To matter, more than a teammate, a rival, maybe as an ace. He wants to take a place in Shigeru’s heart that no one else could ever claim. 

Shigeru sighs, after enduring the great horror of the haunted house. To Kentarou’s ongoing joy and deep surprise, the hand on his arm doesn’t seem to want to leave. Attempting an aloof face, Kentarou squints at the sun as they come out, continuing their day here. 

When they’re close to another fun ride that Shigeru might like more than Kentarou, the latter turns to the former.

“Can’t a guy just be...happy..?” Kentarou says, regretting the words as soon as they’re spoken reality. He doesn’t dare to look at Shigeru’s face too much. Maybe he should just push him into a wall and kiss him silent. It’s not like he necessarily feels that he only wants to kiss Shigeru, but it’s the best way to cut him off from saying something that could hurt Kentarou.

“I guess… I mean, I’m enjoying myself too, thanks for asking,” Shigeru says, the faintest hint of huffed aggression behind it. Then he scoffs a laugh, the grip on Kentarou’s arm not as tight as before when he was scared, but definitely not seeming to leave any time soon.

The late afternoon welcomes the dusk. Kentarou has put his other hand in his pocket, now nodding his chin towards the only place they hadn’t been at yet. He shouldn’t be getting his hopes up. This is, after all, some top romancing he wants to pull off. It’s either stupidity or bravery making him talk, making him want, thinking he could win.

“Wanna go on the ferris wheel now?” Kentarou says, as if he’s not lining himself up for a crushing heartbreak.

Shigeru doesn’t shrug him off. Doesn’t seem overly disgusted by the prospect. Hell, he doesn’t even comment on it at all. He just says—

“Sure, why not.”

—as if love is that easy to attain.

*

When Kentarou’s hand latches onto Shigeru, he ignores it with his eyes and his mouth, but not with his fingers. They curl past sport’s tape, over knuckles. His heart cannot ignore it either, and he finds himself fortunate that his face doesn’t find this an issue to blush over.

When the hand gently pulls and leads them towards the ferris wheel, Shigeru’s mouth is dry. Not from a lack of water or the sweets they ate at other stands. If Shigeru would be foolish enough to make a comment about Kentarou’s surprising romantic tendencies, he’d might fall into a trap. One where his remarks might not have wished the outcome, and he’d start blushing after all. 

The line for the ferris wheel isn’t long, and soon the two of them sit in a private capsule. Shigeru watches Kentarou, who sits opposite of him. 

As the ferris wheel brings them up, and the ground becomes a faraway land, Shigeru is taken in by the sites all around him. Kentarou switches to his side, not saying anything. When Shigeru thinks he can start small-talk, his head turning to Kentarou, he’s attacked by a baseball cap. It slides over his hair with ease, and a pull makes Shigeru go forward, right towards Kentarou’s waiting lips. 

At the very top of the wheel, they take one last polaroid picture together. Shigeru insist they come cheek to cheek, and get as much of the background on the picture as possible. 

All the way down, Kentarou keeps the arm he put over Shigeru’s shoulder for the picture, right there where it belongs.

*

Exiting the amusement park, Kentarou gives Shigeru his jacket. He does it at arm’s length, nearly punching his fist into Shigeru’s chest. Too much softness would make the heart grow fonder, Kentarou believes the saying goes. And his heart cannot take much more fondness, or it would burst.

“You’re becoming an icicle. Rather not have your dying or getting sick be made my problem,” Kentarou huffs, keeping his eyes forward. He hears Shigeru slipping those bare cold arms into the sleeve jacket. 

“It would have been though? You hadn’t told me we would be out all day,” Shigeru says, and Kentarou can’t look at him. Shigeru purposefully hadn’t used the ‘date’. Kentarou doesn’t take it to heart, given that he could understand the reason not to be so specific. Having cold feet is something he fully understands, even though he’s much more of a furnace in both body warmth and passion than Shigeru.  
Kentarou attempts a glance, a quick peek; to see Shigeru in his baseball cap and his jacket. _mine mine mine_ , he thinks, possessive of all three of them. What Kentarou wasn’t prepared for, is to get stuck and stand still, watching Shigeru’s gentle smile as he brushes his nose over Kentarou’s jacket’s collar. Kentarou should look away, but he’s too late when Shigeru looks up to him, immediately hiding the smile.

“You really should wash this jacket. It smells.”

“Shut up, Shigeru,” Kentarou grunts, no real heat in his voice, or acid lacing his tone. 

Shigeru smiles again, a bit too triumphant. He still wears the baseball cap Kentarou lured him into a kiss with in the ferris wheel. Shigeru had kept it like this, forward, saying it was the only cool way to put it on.

*

At some point, Shigeru knows that Kentarou’s place is in another direction. Yet he doesn’t wait at the intersection, and heads along to where Shigeru lives. Shigeru follows, slipping his now once-more warm hand into Kentarou’s. Practice ease. It only took one day and a haunted house to get there. Shigeru finds that if he doesn’t think too much about it, he could actually get used to this.

“Sooo, are you taking me all the way home now?” Shigeru asks in a light voice, prepared to constrict his hand-hold if Kentarou would decide the question is too much and wants to make a run for it.

“Pfft, no? There’s a thing I wanna check out. Your endless luck, it’s past your house.”

“My luck,” Shigeru says, mock-laughing.

“Yeah, to keep having my wonderful presence here,” Kentarou says, not a hint of joking in his super sarcastic reply. 

“Dawww, you’re being so courteous today. Are you trying to become a functioning member of society after all? Did you find a gentleman’s handbook for dummies?” Shigeru says, coming way too close to Kentarou while teasing him. He’s not afraid of Kentarou’s bite. Kentarou just scoffs, telling Shigeru again to shut his mouth.

At the Yahaba house-gate, the shutting-up part becomes reality as their mouths lock together in a kiss goodbye, a kiss goodnight. They’d never call it that out loud, or ask for one. In their relationship, they just take what they want, and hope for the best. Shigeru holds both Kentarou’s hands within his, pressing the other into the gate and unwilling to let him go anytime soon. The streets are dark, and even the lights of the lamps doesn’t reach them or expose them.

“Wanna come in? You can warm up drinking hot chocolate,” Shigeru says, eyelids heavy. He’s pressed himself close to Kentarou, not in a too-suggestive way. He figures he could give Kentarou’s jacket back, let him warm up a little. Maybe other stuff.

“Or you give me my jacket back now. The cap you can keep, I don’t care,” Kentarou huffs, then captures Shigeru’s bottom lip with his teeth. Kentarou’s hands could easily undress and retake the jacket. Shigeru might fight him for it, outside the gate. But he doesn’t want to take it too far. If Kentarou doesn’t want to come in, prolonging their day into the night, or want what Shigeru was trying to hint at (which was to warm up a completely different way), Shigeru understands. 

When Kentarou’s teeth are done with their assault, Shigeru’s chin meets Kentarou’s hair, as he slides it down, in hiding, to ask, “Had fun?”

Looking up to his home without seeing it, Shigeru closes his eyes. Not at all to make Kentarou suffer and wait, or think up a stupid comment to tease him with. Shigeru thinks of the polaroids, which they had put in a small album the amusement park had sold for safekeeping. He thinks about the thrills and the softer enjoyments, getting wet and warm all over. Slowly, Shigeru opens his eyes. Yes, the day had been perfect.

He takes pleasure in putting the jacket back on Kentarou himself, who hasn’t asked again. Shigeru’s fingers hold the collar one moment, then pulling it the next. Shigeru presses a more innocent kiss on Kentarou’s cheek, loving how warm he is. 

“I had a lot of fun today. Thanks, Ken,” Shigeru smiles, a bit abashed after all. Kentarou kisses his forehead in return, whispering—

“Next time, I’ll take you up on the offer. You better be ready,” Kentarou says, slowly unwinding their fingers, so he can hold Shigeru’s now burning face within his hands. Shigeru nods without looking at his boyfriend. He might have been unable to handle a lot more himself, it seems. He’s glad to be on the other side of his home gate, taking one last look at Kentarou behind the thin iron bars. Shigeru allows his smile to come wide and all wobbly with happiness, a feeling that spread as Kentarou’s mouth-corner lifts up in turn.

Walking back, Shigeru feels like walking on clouds. Today, being boyfriends had been super easy.

*

Halfway home, Kentarou puts a hand in front of his mouth and yells into it. He has to use both hands to mute the sound, striding forwards in hasty steps. There’s no one here to see or hear him. No eye-witness to what a complete and utter dumb fool he is. Any other boy would have said yes to Shigeru’s hinted invitation. Even if nothing would have happened...But Kentarou had felt himself melt, like the homemade chocolate milk Shigeru would have melted for them. Possibly.

It’s not as if he had enough of the day and wanted to be alone. It had been such a good, perfect day. Everything had gone so much better than Kentarou had expected. When he woke up that morning, he thought Shigeru would laugh, ask if he’s serious, and just not go to the park with him.

It’s not as if he had his fill of Shigeru. That could never happen, even on days at the gym where they set aside their boyfriends-status and sometimes fight over too high or too low tosses.

Kentarou can’t be sure if he said no to the invite because part of him wasn’t ready. He couldn’t know for real unless he tried it, and he rather not try something unless he’s real sure about himself and what he’s capable of. A vicious circle, in which Kentarou’s thoughts always spin around Shigeru. The bastard. The beauty. 

“Curse him and that stupid soft, fucking perfect hair of his,” Kentarou says, after taking a breath of the cool evening. He’d have to make Shigeru pay, soon. Cornering him against the gate like that only invited retaliation. 

For now, all he can do is go home, have a shower, take a bath. Decline food as his stomach is still full. And even if it wasn’t, it’s in too much of a tumult over Shigeru’s advances earlier. Kentarou won’t be much use to anyone, and it would be best to lock himself up in his room. And by that, he’d ask his family nicely to leave him alone, given that there’s no locks on the doors, or signs outside his room. 

“Yes, that’s what I’ll do…” Kentarou mutters to himself, reaching for his keys. He’d sit on his bed, possibly in the dark, and then call Shigeru. Make him fluster and blush over the phone. Possibly. The idea makes Kentarou grin widely. 

But before he does anything else, he will make a fun memory book of the day with Shigeru, using the polaroids.


End file.
